


i'll choose you

by cosmogony



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Domestic, Fluff, M/M, Side Pairing - Hoshiumi/Hirugami, for your sakusa adopting a cat needs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:48:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25684549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmogony/pseuds/cosmogony
Summary: Sakusa Kiyoomi never expected to adopt a cat. However, extenuating circumstances find him with a feline for a flatmate, and he wants to work hard to earn her trust.
Relationships: Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi
Comments: 19
Kudos: 508





	i'll choose you

**Author's Note:**

> this was a commission for the lovely [@hoxiumi](https://twitter.com/hoxiumi) on Twitter! Thank you for commissioning me to write something so lovely, I hope you enjoy and that I did your idea justice!

Sakusa Kiyoomi thought he was a reasonable person.

Perhaps reasonable  _ enough  _ was a better descriptor, but reasonable nonetheless. He was respectful of people’s boundaries, was willing to participate in polite small-talk when it was initiated with him, and most importantly, would never ask someone to go out of their way to do something for him.

Which is why he didn’t understand how that respect didn’t get paid back to him. He couldn’t recall doing anything to deserve the torturous treatment he was receiving at that moment. 

It was simply unjust. 

“I don’t want it,” Sakusa said, one hand on his hip. He was currently standing in the doorway of his apartment, on what was supposed to be his day off. 

Days off were meant for relaxing. For resting his body before he resumed his intensive training sessions. They were not for whatever this absurdity was. 

But day off or not, there stood Hoshiumi Kourai and Hirugami Sachirou on his doorstep, overstepping his boundaries. 

Usually, Sakusa didn’t mind Hoshiumi. He was a good teammate to have on the National Team, and an exceptional volleyball player. Although he was loud, he was tolerable. And he’d never paid much attention to Hirugami, either. 

But currently, they were his worst enemies. 

“C’mon Kiyoomi, please? You could use some company around here! It must be oh so lonely in this big apartment all on your own,” Hoshiumi satirized. His nose was scrunched up in what Sakusa assumed was an attempt to scare him into accepting their offer. 

Sakusa shook his head. “Miya is enough company. He visits enough.” 

“Look, Sakusa-san, we’d really appreciate if you did this for us. You know what it’s like at our place.” Hirugami looked up at Sakusa to gauge a reaction. He did know what it was like at their place - an abundance of rescue animals that neither had the heart to let go lonely. Which meant they had managed to accumulate three cats, two dogs and more birds than Sakusa had ever felt comfortable in the presence of. 

While he understood they had noble intentions, he didn’t want a part in it. Animals were unhygienic at best, and disease-carrying flea-bags at worst. 

Hirugami continued to speak. “We have this sweet little rescue cat, and she needs a home. And she’s too jittery to be around all the animals at our place, it wouldn’t be healthy for her. We had to think of someone who was gentle enough and had a quiet space to accommodate her. You’re the only friend we have.”

Their plan was clear to Sakusa. They were going to try to guilt him into this. It was as though they thought he had feelings, he almost pitied them for that. 

“Please?” Hoshiumi batted his eyelids in some weird impression of puppy-dog eyes he’d no doubtedly tried to learn from Hinata. “We don’t have anybody else.”

“So Iwaizumi-san said no?” Sakusa asked, one eyebrow perfectly arched. In response to this, Hirugami averted his eyes to the ground, and Hoshiumi snarled at him. He’d hit the nail on the head, he wasn’t even their first choice. He moved to close the door in their faces, but Hoshiumi shoved his foot in just in time, preventing Sakusa from closing the door. “Please, leave.”

“We are not leaving until you accept Kumo!” Hoshiumi was trying to pry the door back open. “I mean it, Kiyoomi. You don’t wanna be stuck with me here all day, do you?”

The mere thought made Sakusa’s head throb. A whole day of Hoshiumi… it sounded unbearable. He’d simply choose to perish instead of experiencing that. His day off was supposed to be Hoshiumi-less.

“Fine,” he hissed. “I’ll take the cat, but only for a little bit. But you have to leave me alone. And never speak to me again, preferably.”

As soon as the words tumbled from his lips, he regretted them. He didn’t want a cat! He didn’t want to look after something that thought the idea of ‘cleanliness’ came from incessant licking. 

“Let us go grab her from the car,” Hirugami said with a smile, bowing his head. “Thank you so much, Sakusa-san. To repay you for your troubles, we’ll provide all the cat equipment.”

“Aren’t those free from work for you?” Hoshiumi questioned, to which Hirugami gave him a glare. “Oh, haha, you mean the good quality ones we purchased out of the good of our hearts. Yes. Okay. Let us go grab Kumo. Let’s go, Sachirou.” The robotic tone in Hoshiumi’s voice was an instant giveaway that he was lying through his teeth, but Sakusa didn’t care if it meant he was finally going away. 

As they walked away to go and bring him his new flatmate, he couldn’t help the anxiety swirling in his stomach. 

He supposed he should venture out to buy more disinfectant this evening.

* * *

Just as they had promised, Hoshiumi and Hirugami left him with everything he could need to care for a cat. He’d been given a small, black scratching tree, enough canned food and kibble to last over a month, a litter tray and large bag of clean litter crystals, and an assortment of cat toys. 

All of these made Sakusa’s skin crawl. The litterbox residing in his small laundry was enough to completely frazzle his nerves, he wanted to throw it out the window. It was lucky he had what could be considered a lifetime supply of plastic surgical gloves he’d be able to handle it with. 

He hadn’t had time to consider the stench of the food yet. 

Currently, he was too preoccupied having a stare-off with Kumo in his living room. Kumo was curled into a corner, paws tucked under herself for comfort. She was staring up at Sakusa, who had his arms crossed over his chest, glaring right back. 

“I don’t know what you want from me.” He blinked at the cat, who did not blink back. Her gaze was unnerving, and yet he was captivated by her amber eyes. 

She wasn’t an ugly cat, to say the least. Although small, and probably a tad underweight, she was quite adorable. She had a fluffy coat of black hair that seemed well-groomed enough to be considered clean. Her eyes though, were like precious stones of amber, starkly contrasting with her inky coat. 

Sakusa took a tentative step towards her. However, this caused her to jump and cower into the corner, a crying meow piercing the air. This caused Sakusa to jump back again. “Sorry, so sorry, please stop.” 

After a few moments she stopped screeching, but she continued to tremble. He wondered what terrible things had befallen Kumo in the past for her to be so afraid. His lips turned down in a bitter frown at the thought. People truly were a plague. 

He wouldn’t let any harm befall this cat as long as it resided under his roof, he knew that much. Though he’d never admit that sentiment out loud. 

“How am I supposed to look after you if I can’t come within five metres of you?” Sakusa murmured. He’d promised Hirugami that he’d care for the cat to the best of his ability as the vet had left, and Sakusa wasn’t one to go back on a promise. He considered texting Atsumu for help - he’d often told him stories of the cat he and Osamu had raised as children - but he decided against it. His boyfriend would only mock his inexperience with felines. 

So Sakusa resigned himself to Google. He perched himself on the edge of his sofa, making sure Kumo was in his field of view. She hadn’t moved from that corner. 

Glancing back down at his screen, he typed various phrases into his search bar to try and learn how to get in this cat’s good graces. They all seemed to have the same answer though.

Time. 

Sakusa was patient. He didn’t mind waiting. What he did mind, however, was the distress of Kumo. He wanted to see that solved as soon as he could. Leaving Kumo despondent weighed heavily on his heart, though he wasn’t entirely sure why. 

He threw his phone beside him on the sofa, and held his head in his hands. He’d come up with something eventually. Or at least continue on his Google-fuelled endeavours. He didn’t feel as though he had much more option than that. 

Perhaps he had more feelings than he’d ever given himself credit for. 

* * *

“Yer lookin’ like shit, Omi.” 

If looks could kill, the glare that Sakusa shot Atsumu surely would have turned him to dust. He didn’t need to be reminded of the bags under his eyes and the lack of spring in his step. 

It had been evident enough in practice. While the gym was filled with the squeak of sneakers against the wooden flooring and the slam of balls being spiked over nets, Sakusa found his movements sluggish. He’d even missed one of Atsumu’s sets, which he’d been mocked for the next thirty minutes. If he heard Atsumu shout ‘make sure yer freaky wrist hits it this time’ one more time in his  _ life,  _ he was probably going to pop a blood vessel. 

“Sensitive topic?” Atsumu walked to the side of the court, gesturing for Sakusa to follow. 

Sakusa rolled his eyes, but followed anyway. He’d learnt quickly into their relationship that Atsumu showed concern by having private conversations in public. It still wasn’t the strangest thing about their relationship though, not by a long-shot. 

“No, just couldn’t sleep well.” It wasn’t a lie, Sakusa had barely been able to sleep a wink last night. Or the night before. Or even the night before that.

This was, of course, the fault of Kumo. If he wasn’t staying up until ridiculous hours of the night on various online forums on caring for a new cat, then he was either trying to implement methods they suggested, kept awake by Kumo’s meowing, or the worst of all: tossing and turning knowing that he was failing. 

But he couldn’t tell Atsumu that. He’d ask too many questions that Sakusa didn’t have answers to, and he was not calm enough to deal with that. His nerves were frazzled enough as is, he really wanted to get out of this gym and retreat home.

“You’re bein’ so weird lately. Weirder than usual. Since when does the great Sakusa Kiyoomi not put on his face mask an’ get his designated nine hours sleep?” Atsumu raised his eyebrows at him, but Sakusa was not going to take the mocking. Not when he could be going home to nap.

“Is that all you have to say? I want to go home. Training is over.” Almost every other  _ MSBY Black Jackals  _ player had filtered out of the gym now, only Atsumu and Sakusa remained, as well as Inunaki Shion on the opposite end of the gym scrolling through his phone, completely oblivious to what was happening around him. 

Atsumu shook his head in disdain, but the smirk on his face was enough information for Sakusa to know he wasn’t genuinely upset. “Go get some shut-eye, Omi. Wanna get dinner tomorrow?”

Sakusa hummed. “Can we eat-in instead? Your apartment.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Atsumu in his apartment. It had been rough to accommodate somebody in his space to start with, but with a little bit of flexibility from both of them, they’d made it work. 

He just didn’t want Atsumu to meet Kumo until he had the situation under control. 

Maybe it was a pride thing. Not that he’d be willing to admit that. 

Plus, Atsumu’s apartment was nice. Since they’d been dating, Atsumu kept a pump of hand sanitizer by the front door, and antibacterial wipes in his cupboards. Sakusa hadn’t told him to do it - Atsumu just did. 

Sakusa idly wondered if Atsumu would ever confess he did it for Sakusa, or if he’d laugh it off and say ‘they’ve always been there’. The sweet, lying, sappy bastard.

“Mine? You prefer we eat at yours usually.”

“Yours has a better view out the window at night,” Sakusa reasoned, although he’d made that up on the spot. He vaguely remembered a park across from Atsumu’s apartment complex, it was a plausible excuse. 

Atsumu shrugged. “Sounds good to me, Omi.”

* * *

It had been nine days since Sakusa had been handed the untameable beast that was Kumo. 

Nine days of trying to give her enough space to become acquainted with the apartment.

Nine days of watching her begin to venture from room to room, but never once approaching Sakusa or letting him approach her. 

Nine days of making weird excuses as to why Atsumu couldn’t visit. 

Nine days of contemplating how to make this small creature like him. 

It had felt longer than nine days. 

But oddly enough, Sakusa didn’t regret agreeing to adopt Kumo. He thought he would have by now. The shedding, the stench of fish, and dealing with litter all seemed like things that, fundamentally, Sakusa wouldn’t be able to handle. 

And yet, he was handling them. He had enough lint rollers to pick up wherever her hair fell, he found she ate her food fast enough for it to not have enough time to stink up his apartment, and with gloves and a mask, he hadn’t been  _ too  _ bothered by the slovenly litterbox. 

In nine days, Sakusa Kiyoomi had mastered all things about being a cat owner, except for possibly the most important. He hadn’t managed to make Kumo like him. 

And he was determined to make it happen. He’d be a failure otherwise, really. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself. 

One night, he’d rung Hoshiumi to explain his anguish. He’d been watching Kumo just sit and stare at him from the other side of the room as he spoke in hushed tones into the phone. She was always staring, cautious of all his movements. 

“I mean, a nurse at Sachirou’s clinic found her on the side of the road! Of course she’s scared, Kiyoomi. You need to give her more time.” Hoshiumi’s voice had crackled through the receiver. 

Sakusa sighed, his eyes trained on Kumo. Despite him not having the chance to brush her yet, her coat looked impeccable, not a single hair askew. She really was a beautiful cat. 

“I don’t know how to earn her trust.” His reply was close to an admittance of defeat, but he hadn’t given up yet.

“Listen, people don’t choose cats. Cats choose people. Just give her time and more reasons to choose you.” And with that, Hoshiumi, the ungrateful brat, had hung up - most likely to escape having to listen to Sakusa’s further qualms. 

But the conversation had stuck with him. He had to give her reasons to trust him. Perhaps then, she’d stop rejecting him.

He wanted Kumo to choose him. 

That was how he found himself seated cross-legged on the floor of his apartment, about two metres away from Kumo, who had grown used to that distance in time. He didn’t dare try his luck at inching closer. 

She was regarding him carefully, unblinking. This was a break in the odd routine they’d developed. She may not have been hissing at him to leave, but she was still trembling slightly. He knew he had to tread carefully in his mission.

He slipped a surgical glove onto one hand and pulled the bag of kibble close to him. 

“I don’t think you and I are so different, Kumo.” Sakusa spoke in a quiet voice, careful not to startle her. He raked his non-gloved hand through his hair. “We both hate people, and love our space. We also have black hair.” 

Kumo blinked at him then, and he wondered if cats could understand what people said. While it was an absurd thought, it was oddly comforting. 

“And that is why I think we should get along,” Sakusa continued. “Birds of a feather flock together, or whatever it is that Hinata says.”

With that said, Sakusa opened the bag of kibble and dipped his gloved hand into it, pulling out one piece. He reached across to place the individual kibble halfway between himself and Kumo as a peace offering. 

As soon as he pulled away his hand, and Kumo regarded him for a few moments, she got up onto her paws and tentatively moved towards it, body slunk low to the ground. She looked up at Sakusa for one more moment, before dipping her head to eat it. 

This was the closest proximity Sakusa and Kumo had ever been in, and oh how it made his heart happy. It felt that finally, nine days later, he was making progress. 

“Would you like another one?” Sakusa asked, reaching back into the bag and placing another kibble onto his wooden floorboards, right in the same spot. Kumo jumped back as she saw his hand approaching, but surely made her way back to eat the kibble. 

This was progress. It seemed he truly was on the road of Kumo choosing him after all. 

* * *

They surely fell into a routine. Every night, Sakusa would sit on the floor and offer Kumo more food. The only difference being that Sakusa placed the kibble slightly closer to himself each time, beckoning Kumo towards him. 

And each day, she was willing to move marginally towards him. And even better than that, with time, she didn’t even jump away when his hand extended towards her to place a new piece. She no longer trembled when Sakusa got too close, instead choosing to watch him instead. 

He too, watched her. Two weeks since they’d become flatmates, and she was looking more like a cat, and less like a kitten. She’d gained some much-needed weight, as well as confidence. Kumo didn’t hesitate before entering other rooms in Sakusa’s apartment now, she just walked wherever she wanted to go, her tail happily flickering behind her. 

The feeling of watching Kumo grow rivalled that of making it into the National Team. Not that Sakusa was ever going to admit that to anybody. 

But then, one incredible Thursday, something miraculous happened. 

As Sakusa was placing the kibble an approximate 30cm from himself, Kumo hadn’t backed away. Instead, she leant forward towards his gloved hand, vigorously sniffing it. 

Sakusa could have sworn his heart stopped. He’d read about this - a cat sniffed a person’s hand to become acquainted with them. Kumo wanted to become acquainted with Sakusa. Kumo was  _ choosing  _ Sakusa. 

He stayed as still as a Greek statue as Kumo sniffed his hand. He couldn’t afford to mess this up now. Watching Kumo be willing to be in such close proximity to him made the corner of his lips tug up in a smile that he couldn’t fight no matter how hard he tried. 

After a few moments had passed, she looked back up to his face expectantly. Sakusa nodded in understanding and pulled his hand away to get a new piece of kibble for her. He owed her that much after the trust she had just shown him. 

This pattern continued for the next four days. Each day Sakusa would place the kibble even closer to him, and each day Kumo would sniff his hand, slowly showing her building trust towards him.

It was exactly fourteen days into their companionship when Kumo made direct contact with him. Instead of just sniffing his latex-gloved hand, she’d rubbed her face against it. He felt her long whiskers through the glove, the odd sensation sending tingles through his hand. 

The most incredible sensation, though, was the one in his heart. He couldn’t recall feeling this much warmth in his chest since Atsumu let it slip that he memorised Sakusa’s favourite mask brand. 

He was in the mood to test his luck today, though. Instead of pulling his hand away as Kumo stopped rubbing against it, he instead moved to stroke her forehead. She didn’t pull away, instead leaning into the touch. He heard the faint sound, something akin to vibrations. He narrowed his eyes in concentration, but was soon to work it out, his eyes blown wide when he did. 

Kumo was  _ purring.  _

He’d never heard such a glorious sound. Surely, this was what greeted you at the gate of Heaven - not an angel, but a small, black cat, showing you its trust and happiness by purring. 

That night, Sakusa sent one single text to Hoshiumi:  _ I think she chose me.  _

* * *

“I’m sorry I departed from training as soon as it was over, I was tired,” Sakusa spoke into the phone, slipping his key into the door of his apartment and twisting it open with a sharp  _ click.  _

“Damn, you’re still not sleeping well? Are ya sure you don’t want me to come over n’ cook?” While Atsumu’s voice was calm through this receiver, Sakusa could sense his worries. He did have a sixth sense for Atsumu, usually. Not that he could blame him for being worried, his behaviour had been a little erratic lately. 

One day, hopefully soon, Sakusa would explain that he had to keep his apartment quiet for a certain black cat, and it was vital that they built a connection without hiccups or interruptions. Atsumu would understand - he always did. 

“I’ll be okay. I just need to lie down and rest,” Sakusa deadpanned. 

Atsumu sighed, barely audible through the phone. “Omi, are ya sure? How ‘bout we jig trainin’ tomorrow and nap on the sofa?”

“Your sofa?” Sakusa questioned, toeing his shoes off once he’d stepped inside the apartment. 

“How about yours? I feel like I haven’t been over in weeks, I kinda miss it.” 

“Don’t grow sappy on me, Miya. Your sofa is softer.” He was telling the truth. While Sakusa’s sofas were firmer and far superior for his posture, Atsumu’s felt like sitting on a cloud, a loftier option to sleep on. 

Atsumu laughed, a genuine and honest laugh. “I can’t believe you lecture me on how my sofa is too soft, but the second it comes to napping, suddenly it’s a good thing.”

“Do not take my words out of context. Aah!” The last part was a shout, not directed at Atsumu, but to the strange sensation at Sakusa’s calf that almost made him jump. He turned his head down, only to see Kumo rubbing her head against his leg. His expression instantly softened, shock turning into affection. 

This was the first time she had ever approached him first - he idly pondered if he should document the date. 

Sakusa couldn’t note the exact moment he’d gotten so attached to Kumo. Perhaps it’d been when she’d rubbed her face against him the first time… but he knew it wasn’t that. Maybe when they’d bonded over the kibble - although he was pretty sure he wouldn’t have instigated feeding her piece by piece if he wasn’t already attached. 

He wondered if the moment he’d formed that bond was when she’d sat in that corner on their first day together, and he realised he wanted to protect her. 

Anyone that knew him wouldn’t have believed it - he just simply wasn’t an animal person. But somehow, his heart had opened a space large enough for Kumo to fit. He didn’t think he had space left, but he was for once in his life, glad to be proven wrong. 

“Omi? Are ya okay? What was that? Did ya trip or somethin’?” 

Sakusa blinked. Right, he was on the phone. Not the time for introspection about the bond with his cat.

“Yes, I tripped. But I’m fine now.” He glanced down at the floor again, Kumo was still at his feet, gazing up at him with her bright amber eyes. He hesitantly reached down to scratch her behind the ears, which she allowed him to do, and once again began to purr, her tail wrapping around one of his legs. 

“You definitely need sleep, huh? I’ll see ya tomorrow.” Atsumu hung up after that, and Sakusa slipped his phone back into his pocket. 

“I missed you too,” he mumbled down at Kumo. 

Coming home had never felt better. 

* * *

Migraines were the bane of Sakusa’s existence. 

He’d suffered from them since he was a child, but he took medication that suppressed them. Usually, it worked. 

Today, however, it did not. 

He didn’t know  _ why  _ he’d gotten one so suddenly, he hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary. He’d gotten up at 5:30, as he always did, prepared breakfast for himself, poured kibble out for Kumo, and headed off to training. However, upon the second hour, he noticed flashing in the corners of his vision; a surefire sign he was developing a migraine. He’d excused himself as fast as he could and driven home, but it was too late, he hadn’t taken a tablet in time to prevent it.

That was how he found himself lying down on his sofa at 2 P.M, curtains drawn and one hand clutching his forehead. His eyes were screwed shut, a grimace on his face. Everything was hazy and unfocused, all he could think about was the indescribable throbbing in his head. He didn’t paint a very pretty picture. 

The universe was merciful today, at least. In almost no time, Sakusa fell into a fitful sleep, not one that would leave him feeling refreshed, but one that allowed him to momentarily slip out of pain’s cruel grasp. 

When he woke up, an indeterminable amount of time later, he felt a weight on his chest. His first thought was ‘I’m getting sick, I must be developing a cough’, which caused him some distress. But after a moment of hesitation, he realised it wasn’t an unpleasant weight. If anything, it was warm. 

He cracked open one eye, but his head throbbed in retaliation. He closed it again before he had a chance to process the amber eyes staring at him from above. 

~O~

The next time Sakusa woke up, he noticed four things. 

One, his head didn’t hurt. This led him to be able to open his eyes, and notice the other three things happening around him. 

Two, Kumo was currently asleep on his chest, curled into a ball with her tail wrapped around her and her head resting on her front paws. He briefly watched the rise and fall of her body with each breath; it was more comforting than he could describe. 

Three, Miya Atsumu was seated on the adjacent sofa, head bowed over his phone, most likely mindlessly scrolling through his Instagram feed. 

Four, Atsumu was in the same space as Kumo, and she hadn’t run away. The thought made his lips curl up into a soft smile. He hadn’t planned to unite his two worlds yet, but it seemed the opportunity had presented itself to him. 

He turned his head to look over at Atsumu, who either hadn’t noticed he was awake, or was choosing to ignore it to give Sakusa the time to process his presence. He always let Sakusa make the first move if he wasn’t sure how he was going to respond. It was disgustingly endearing. 

“How’d you get in here?” Sakusa mumbled. He couldn’t sit up in fear of disrupting Kumo, so instead he just stared intently at his boyfriend. 

As soon as he heard his voice, Atsumu’s eyes lifted from his screen towards Sakusa. “Emergency key. Can I ask a question now?”

“What about this situation looks like an emergency?” Sakusa retorted, raising one brow. He completely ignored Atsumu’s question; he had a feeling he knew what it would be, regardless. 

“I dunno, Omi. Maybe the fact that ya looked even paler than usual at practice? Or that ya left without sayin’ goodbye? Or perhaps that ya didn’t even bother answerin’ ya cell when I called after?” Atsumu shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Forgive me for worryin’ about my own boyfriend.” 

“How long have you been here?” Sakusa asked, hoping that his face wasn’t flushed. He and Atsumu weren’t the most affectionate couple, nor did they want to be, but that made small gestures like this even more meaningful, having a greater effect on Sakusa more than it probably would to most other people.

“After practice, I went home and showered, because I know what yer like when dirty people come over, and then came straight here. So ‘bout three hours? Can I ask my question  _ now?” _

Sakusa hummed. “I suppose.” 

“Cool, thanks. So what the hell is that?” Atsumu questioned, gesturing with a hand towards Kumo. 

“That is called a cat.” 

“ _ That is called a cat,”  _ Atsumu mimicked in a high, mocking pitch. “I know it’s a goddamn cat, Kiyoomi, but  _ why  _ is there a cat?”

The volume of their conversation had woken Kumo, who Sakusa had expected to run away at the sight and volume. But instead she just stood up, arched her back in a stretch, and then looked back at Sakusa expectantly. Both were watching her intently, it seemed Atsumu was just as captivated by her as Sakusa was. 

Sakusa used this opportunity to sit upright, gently holding Kumo and positioning her in his lap, where she seemed content to sit. “Hoshiumi and his retainer brought her, because she was a rescue cat and needed somewhere quiet to stay.” Sakusa ran a hand through her fur as he spoke, the other reaching around to scratch under her neck.

“You agreed?” Atsumu sounded as though he was in shock. If Sakusa had any energy, he probably would have laughed at the baffled expression on his face, distorting his features. 

“I did. He promised he’d leave me alone after.”

“Shit, Omi, no wonder you’ve been losin’ sleep. Do ya want me to take her? I don’t mind.” Atsumu tilted his head, slowly reaching across to let Kumo sniff his hand, which she seemed intently focused on doing. Sakusa wondered what mysteries lay in the scent of Atsumu’s hand. 

He pulled his thoughts away from that, and to Atsumu’s question. If he had asked three-week-ago Sakusa, he would have agreed immediately. He detested animals, and the thought of living with one had made his skin crawl. That was the Sakusa that Atsumu knew. 

But he was a changed man now. He could still say he vehemently disliked most animals (and most people, too, to be fair), but Kumo had a place in his life now that he didn’t want to give up. 

That was what led Sakusa to shake his head. “No, thank you. I like having her around.” To demonstrate his point, Sakusa leant forward and pressed a brief kiss to her forehead. 

“Who are ya and what’ve ya done with Sakusa Kiyoomi?” Atsumu joked, a grin spread across his face. “I didn’t think you’d kiss something like a cat.”

“I kiss you all the time, and you’re dirtier than she is.” Sakusa accompanied this with a smirk, an attempt to rile Atsumu up. 

“But ya still kiss me anyway. What’s her name again?” Atsumu ran a hand through his bleached hair, dishevelling it. 

“Kumo.” 

“Cute. It’s nice to meet ya, Kumo. Welcome to the family.” Atsumu raised his hand to scratch her behind the ears, which she gratefully began to purr at.

It brought Sakusa a new and exciting feeling of satisfaction to see the two most prominent beings in his life get along. He’d worried originally that Atsumu would scare her. And maybe, if he introduced them all those weeks ago, he would have. 

But she’d grown. With perseverance, patience, and kibble, she’d turned from a shaking little kitten, scared of her own shadow, into a beautiful cat that Sakusa was almost ready to admit he loved. 

That was how the three of them ended up curled on the couch - Sakusa leaning against Atsumu, and Kumo curled on his lap - while they found a movie to watch, asking her for agreement in the form of a meow before they selected one. 

It was a funny thing, how a weird occurrence had brought them together. Fate made no sense to Sakusa. But sitting with the love of his life, as well as his new best friend, he realised he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> Shout-out to [Noemie](https://twitter.com/_no0emiie) for checking this over for me!! 
> 
> Come say hi on my [twitter](https://twitter.com/kodzukuro)


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